


A Rose by Any Other Name

by VaticanII



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, COVID-19, College, F/M, Fluff, Omega Verse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-16 11:53:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29700141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VaticanII/pseuds/VaticanII
Summary: Sniff, sniff.Becca immediately felt self-conscious. Did she smell bad? Instinctively, she went to sniff herself, pretending to bend down to her back pack as she discreetly checked her deodorant; she immediately wanted to smack herself- of course she wouldn’t smell anything! She hadn’t smelled a thing since COVID, back in September. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d learned that she’d sweated through her deodorant without noticing. Thankfully, she’d learned her lesson.“Can you watch my stuff?” she murmured to Killian, grabbing her backpack and slipping out of her seat before he could reply. Becca darted into the bathroom, slipped into the stall, and took her emergency travel deodorant out of her backpack. She quickly reapplied, then went to the sink and washed her hands. When she returned to her spot, Killian was still there, with a slightly stunned expression on his face.As she sat down at the table, Killian leaned over and whispered, “Are you available to go to dinner Saturday?”
Kudos: 2





	A Rose by Any Other Name

**Author's Note:**

> This work is inspired by a friend of mine, who lost her sense of smell when she got coronavirus, and still can't smell. I love omegaverse, and one of the things about the dynamics is their dependence on smell. I started wondering how it would be affected by a character that couldn't smell, and here we are!  
> This is my first work, so I'm pretty excited about it! I would welcome any feedback y'all might have.

September 2020  
Becca couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this exhausted. True, she’d been up until 2:00 AM finishing that paper, but she’d still gotten a good 5 hours of sleep. God, what had she been thinking, registering for an 8:00 lecture?  
She lay in bed for a moment, wondering if “feeling really tired,” was enough of an excuse to miss class. Fatigue was a COVID symptom, after all. But no, that paper she’d been up all night working on was due today, and she had to show up to turn it in. So she stumbled out of bed and into the bathroom to begin her morning routine.  
It wasn’t until Becca began brushing her teeth that she noticed the lack of that typical minty smell. Her mind stuttered- lack of smell? Oh no, no, no. Wait, don’t panic. Maybe it’s just the toothpaste. She should make sure that she really couldn’t smell before jumping to conclusions. She grabbed her perfume and sprayed some right in front of her face, inhaling sharply. Nothing.  
Oh dear. Well, at least she’d get some more sleep!

March 2021  
Silence reigned throughout the library, broken only by the low whispers of the panicked students. Midterms were upon them, and the library was packed full of students cramming for tests and frantically finishing papers. Becca had arrived early enough to snag herself a table, where she had been laboring over her history paper for hours. Despite its single occupant, the table was cluttered with books and papers, a testament to the pain in the ass that is the research paper.  
“Is that seat taken?” The deep voice curled around her, before settling in her chest and the pit of her stomach. Becca’s heart stuttered, then started racing in her chest. She glanced up to meet Killian’s eyes, almost getting a crick in her neck from looking up at the Alpha. Becca could feel her face flushing under his gaze, even as she rushed to make room for him at the table.  
“No, not at all! Please, sit down.” Becca pulled out the chair for him, giving it a little pat as she smiled goofily up at him. Dear Lord, Becca, make more of a fool out of yourself, she mentally scolded herself.  
“Thank you,” with a small smile, Killian folded himself into the chair, dwarfing it with his broad shoulders. He proceeded to pull out his laptop, and what looked like notes on what looked like some sort of math.  
Becca fidgeted in her seat, trying to focus on her paper; she was so close to finishing. But the Alpha beside her kept slipping into her mind. Stop it, Becca! Yelling inside her head still didn’t stop her from noticing every time Killian shifted his weight, or moved his hands, or took a deep breath.  
Alphas don’t want Betas, Becca. Don’t keep letting him get to you like this! But her mind was consumed with thoughts of Killian. She’d been crushing on him ever since that one time she was walking across campus and spotted him playing with children. He’d been so good with them, playing catch with a football, letting them “tackle,” him to the ground as if he wasn’t the best linebacker the university had ever seen, lifting them up on his shoulders, tossing them in the air and catching them, as if they weighed as much as a feather. He’d be a great dad, she’d thought, and just like that she was a goner.  
Sometimes she really thought she should have been an omega; she had all the signs. She was quiet, a bit of a pushover, a definite people pleaser, and a caring nurturer. She dreamed of being a stay-at-home mom, a white picket fence, half a dozen children, and a dog. More than that, she dreamed of the unique bond that only an alpha and an omega could build, like the bond her parents shared. Really, she couldn’t blame alphas for not wanting betas; if she had the chance to bond with someone like that, she wouldn’t give it up for anything.  
But oh, did Becca want an alpha. There was something about them that drew her like a moth to a flame. Perhaps it was the sheer size of them- tall, broad, and built like a truck. Or maybe it was their voices, with depth and authority. Or even perhaps their eyes, intense and focused. But really, it was their attitude, their approach to life that Becca envied. They were so confident, self-assured, and strong. Not just physically, but also mentally unbending. To a quiet, unassuming girl like Becca, the thought of someone like that being her shield against the world made her giddy.  
But they weren’t for her. Despite how much she may wish otherwise, she’s only a beta. All throughout highschool, she’d stayed hopeful, but when her eighteenth birthday came and went in August without her presenting, she’d resigned herself to her fate. She settled on a career, and went to college to get her degree in education. She told herself she could still be a wife and mother; she didn’t need the bond to achieve her dreams. But that didn’t stop the bitterness that gathered in her chest on occasion.  
Killian leaned back, stretching his arms over his head. Even sitting, he was massive. And a massive distraction. Becca determinedly ignored the feeling pooling in her belly, refocusing on her essay.  
Suddenly, Killian’s head shot up, and his nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply. Sniff, sniff. He looked around, smelling the air, before his head swiveled around, and his vivid eyes focused intensely on her.  
Sniff, sniff.  
Becca immediately felt self-conscious. Did she smell bad? Instinctively, she went to sniff herself, pretending to bend down to her back pack as she discreetly checked her deodorant; she immediately wanted to smack herself- of course she wouldn’t smell anything! She hadn’t smelled a thing since COVID, back in September. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d learned that she’d sweated through her deodorant without noticing. Thankfully, she’d learned her lesson.  
“Can you watch my stuff?” she murmured to Killian, grabbing her backpack and slipping out of her seat before he could reply. Becca darted into the bathroom, slipped into the stall, and took her emergency travel deodorant out of her backpack. She quickly reapplied, then went to the sink and washed her hands. When she returned to her spot, Killian was still there, with a slightly stunned expression on his face.  
As she sat down at the table, Killian leaned over and whispered, “Are you available to go to dinner Saturday?”


End file.
